An example of an Amtrak Corridor Service - San Clemente Pier, California (Image by marek69 at www.flickr.com)
On May 21st, a national series of passenger rail conferences came to Orlando, to discuss enhancing rail service in Florida. Many civic and transportation leaders (and city executives, including Mayors from cities larger and smaller than Jacksonville) were in attendance. How many delegates from Jacksonville showed up?
Two. Stephen Dare of Metro Jacksonville and Bob Mann, a local train expert who has worked with Metro Jacksonville on many studies and proposals.
Now, the folks in Jacksonville use the excuse that the Reality Check 2060 visioning study was the same day. Yes, this was unfortunate scheduling, however, was not one person from JTA available to represent the organization? Could someone from the First Coast Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) not take a ride down to Orlando? Hell, the program started at NOON! This simply would have required someone from Jacksonville to leave at the incredibly early hour of 9 AM to make it safely in time. In fact, if they had asked Stephen Dare and Bob Mann nicely, I bet the two of them would have even allowed JTA to carpool with them!
At the event, Amtrak came down with a couple suitcases of money, looking to spend on improving passenger rail service in Florida. This is important to Jacksonville for many reasons, including:
1. Amtrak is successful at running commuter rail services in many cities, which can significantly reduce the cost incurred by Jacksonville in starting up a system.
2. Increasing Amtrak’s presence in Florida would most likely involve improvements to the existing rail lines (such as overpasses at railroad crossings, additional track construction, etc). This would come from Federal dollars, not local)
3. A potential chance to pass the cost of renovating the Jacksonville Terminal back into a passenger rail station to the Feds.
4. Amtrak already carries liability insurance. You may remember that this was the largest sticking point in the failure to pass the Orland Commuter Rail deal, where the state of Florida would have to carry the liability.
Now, perhaps we want what Amtrak is willing to provide, perhaps we don’t. However, there is no harm in listening. But, in order to listen, someone from Jacksonville would need to spend time with these folks, which obviously isn’t happening.
So, since Jacksonville’s government isn’t willing to step up to the plate, Metro Jacksonville put together a resolution for the Jacksonville City Council to pass supporting restoring passenger rail service on the Florida East Coast Railway (the line paralleling US 1) to several city council members, asking for their support (remember, a resolution is just the City Council taking a position on an issue, not spending any money). The response received back from the council was a bit frustrating. While some were in favor of this, they could not support the resolution, because they were philosophically opposed to the federal stimulus program, which is where Amtrak was getting money from to implement the service.
This is not intended to be a debate over the federal economic stimulus. Some believe it will be a benefit to the country as a whole, some think we will put us in debt for a generation. Whatever the political view may be, the debate on that is immaterial. The money is going to be spent. So, we have a choice: be in debt for 20 years, or be in debt for 20 years, but at least have something to show for it.
Note for elected officials: YOU ARE NOT ELECTED TO SERVE YOUR CONSCIENCE, YOU ARE ELECTED TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE AND ITS RESIDENTS. Please quit the, “we’re going to be above the Obama stimulus”, stop turning this into a political issue, and do what is best for Jacksonville and its taxpayers.
If we continue to have this complacent, Mayberry attitude, the rest of Florida’s cities will continue to move forward, while we will sit on our rear ends and watch the train literally pass us by.
Article by Steve Congro
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jeh1980
July 13, 2009, 05:52:26 AMWhat kind of question is that?! Yes, of course Jacksonville would be interested in listening. We are a big city, are we?
heights unknown
July 13, 2009, 09:02:04 AMThe question should be..."is Peyton and the Jacksonville City Government interested in listening?" They are the catalyst and impetus for getting this thing off and running!
Heights Unknown
ralpho37
July 13, 2009, 10:31:31 AMIs there a way we could get an e-mail petition going or something like that? They city isn't going to do anything unless people like us lead the way in giving them a stiff kick in the rear.
thebrokenforum
July 13, 2009, 10:34:19 AMEmbarrassing and par for the course. "Mayberry attitude" is a great way to put it.
JaxNative68
July 13, 2009, 10:35:10 AMnothing like a nice relaxing day at the beach, cold beverage in your hand . . . and then the diesel cloud of smoke from the passing train smacks you in the face.
I'm all for an upgraded train/mass transit system throughout Florida, but can we also consider environmentally friendly mass transit?
stjr
July 13, 2009, 10:41:31 AMI'm all for an upgraded train/mass transit system throughout Florida, but can we also consider environmentally friendly mass transit?
When I first saw that picture, I thought it was done in Photoshop! Talk about a community's connectivity problem
ralpho37
July 13, 2009, 10:42:00 AMTrains are very environmentally friendly, especially the newest locomotives that GE and EMD are producing. Contrary to popular belief they do not spew tons of smoke and soot into the air as they did back before the 1990's. In fact, if you were to compare the relative fuel economies of today's locomotives to today's autos, you'd be very impressed by how environmentally friendly trains are...
tufsu1
July 13, 2009, 10:56:15 AMslight correction to the article....Amtrak is succeful at running commuter rail service for many states.
This is a key point....yes, the City, JTA, and the TPO need to get on-board (which they've done by passing resolutions)....but the contracts are between Amtrak and state DOTs....so its really FDOT's call.
ralpho37
July 13, 2009, 11:00:16 AMtufsu1: Great point, FDOT ultimately decides if they want to proceed with Amtrak in these dealings. But then in that case, isn't it true that the city of Jacksonville needs to express interest to FDOT to get onboard? Otherwise, 9 chances out of 10, FDOT will allocate everything to the Orlando-Tampa corridor that they are so obsessed with.
jeh1980
July 13, 2009, 02:25:50 PMHeights Unknown
Steve
July 13, 2009, 03:13:22 PM^And the Current State of JTA reflects this?
thelakelander
July 13, 2009, 04:40:52 PMIt would be nice to have our council and mayor's office publicly support such a plan. The more municipalities on board (especially the largest in the state), the better the chance for FDOT to back such endeavors.
ralpho37
July 13, 2009, 08:02:13 PMVery good arguments all around. I know we sometimes tend to have a pessimistic view towards these things and our City Council, but hopefully they are starting to turn their wheels. Steve brings up a good point about JTA. If they (in addition to MetroJax and other groups) continue to pressure the City Council about rail, maybe the light bulb will finally click on and we'll see some publicized support from them. At this point, we at MetroJax really need to push.
brainstormer
July 13, 2009, 09:12:28 PMI tried to find out who voted for or against this resolution, but I can't find it in any meeting minutes. It is time we put some pressure on the folks who can't seem to get with it. Since we can't recall them we can at least let them know we are paying attention! I hate when politics becomes a game resulting in a loss such as this. What was the resolution number and when was it voted upon?
stjr
July 14, 2009, 12:21:50 PMBillions of dollars but no mention here of anything new for Florida or Jacksonville!
Jul 13, 6:59 PM (ET)
By RANDALL CHASE
BEAR, Del. (AP) - Amtrak has wasted little time using its $1.3 billion slice of the federal stimulus package, unveiling the first of 81 passenger cars to be restored with the help of economic recovery funds.
Passenger car no. 25103, damaged a few years ago in a yard collision but now completely refurbished - complete with that "new car" interior smell - was shown off Monday at Amtrak's maintenance facility in Bear. More than 100 hard-hatted workers joined Amtrak president and CEO Joseph Boardman in celebrating completion of its restoration.
The car, refitted at a cost of about $687,000, will rejoin the Amtrak fleet next week and will be used on long-distance routes stretching from Toronto to Miami.
With ridership increasing by about 25 percent over the past three years, Amtrak is welcoming the additional seating capacity that will be provided by cars brought out of storage for repairs. Cars like the one displayed Monday can seat 60.
Members of Delaware's congressional delegation said that while past presidents seemed cool to the needs of mass transit, the Obama administration seems to truly believe in passenger rail.
"Our day has come," said Democratic Sen. Tom Carper.
Republican Rep. Michael Castle acknowledged that he was no fan of the $787 billion stimulus package, but said he wants to ensure that Amtrak remains a viable mode of transportation.
"I think we have an administration that cares, and I think the vice president has a lot to do with that," said Castle, referring to Vice President Joseph Biden, who rode the rails regularly during his long career in the Senate.
The funds allocated to Amtrak are part of the $9.3 billion set aside in the stimulus package for rail transportation. State governments, as well as Amtrak, are competing for a share of the other $8 billion available.
Some of the proposals being discussed include a Chicago-St. Louis high-speed line that could cut travel times to two hours from the current five, an 800-mile-long high-speed line stretching along the California coast, and a proposal by governors of New England states to improve and expand train service throughout that region.
Amtrak expects to spend about $90 million in stimulus money it's already been awarded to upgrade 81 passenger cars and 15 diesel locomotives - part of the $845 million in stimulus funds allocated for railroad and station capital improvements. The agency will spend another $450 million in stimulus money for security upgrades at stations, bridges, tunnels and other locations.
Amtrak has added a third shift and hired 55 workers at its heavy maintenance facility in Delaware, which is responsible for the overhaul and wreck repair of passenger railcars, to help restore a total of 60 cars by February 2011 at a cost of $58 million. Amtrak's chief mechanical officer, Vince Nesci, described the undertaking as a "pretty ambitious and aggressive project."
Similar work is slated for Amtrak shops in Beech Grove, Ind., where 21 out-of-service passenger cars will be rebuilt.
HeartofFlorida
July 15, 2009, 05:45:27 PMThis sounds great. I hope Jacksonville and FDOT can get it going.
Overstreet
July 16, 2009, 10:00:20 AMI find the picture interesting since FDOT is programing millions to move highways away from the beach to provide safe hurricane evacuation and survivability. This picture shows a train next to and along the beach.
tufsu1
July 16, 2009, 10:27:16 AMI only know of one state highway being moved off the beach....and that's US 98 in Franklin County, where parts of the road have been washed out and rebuilt at least four times in the last 15 years....and in that case, the ROW for the new roadway was donated by the landowner (St. Joe)....sure it benefits their development plans, but it helps everybody else too.
Ocklawaha
July 18, 2009, 06:00:39 PMWe better see some comments here about our "Jacksonville Terminal" aka: Transportation Center at what some now call The Prime Osbourne Convention Phone Booth.
I just went over the entire plan for the restoration of the "Sunset Limited" between New Orleans - Jacksonville - Orlando. They are working on three options, with a start up of 4 years. New equipment has to be designed (in the works now) and ordered, platforms restored, tracks and signals touched up and crews trained. By federal law every crew member must qualify on all passenger routes from the crew base. At the moment we are still a crew base for Amtrak crews. New Sunset Route crew members must qualify on Jacksonville - Florence, Jacksonville - Columbia, Jacksonville - Orlando, Jacksonville - Pensacola. With the number of hours required it's a wonder they'll have anyone ready that fast. Read it: FOUR YEARS until liftoff.
Unfinished City Business...
The leading option in my eye's is "Option 3" this would be a stand-alone overnight DAILY TRAIN between Orlando - Jacksonville and New Orleans. It would certainly be the easiest to keep a schedule punctual. Let Los Angeles and the cowboy west have it's Sunset, we need the revived GULF WIND because THAT was the name of the train and route for many years before Amtrak came along. A Los Angeles - Orlando train would be far too many route miles to keep that puppy on the advertised, as would bending the current Chicago - New Orleans train in a fish hook from New Orleans to Orlando. We should be vocal about our support of a restored DAILY Gulf Wind.
Now for the good part...
Amtrak has released the tentative schedule for our own Gulf Wind and it's amazingly good for Jacksonville. If Amtrak can be persuaded to tag a local coach on the rear of the train, and if we build a station in Macclenny and/or West Jax, the train will roll into the city from the west going inbound right before the 7:30 hour in the morning, the same train will leave right about 6:00 pm in the evening. INSTANT COMMUTER LINE!
We need to get vocal about this opportunity and get JTA and City Council off their deadbeat constitutions.
OCKLAWAHA
Ocklawaha
July 18, 2009, 10:46:42 PMThe overlooked aspect of my rant is the key, WE MUST REOPEN JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL TO PASSENGER TRAIN TRAFFIC. We don't have to build any grand buildings or even move the convention center right away, but with a 4 year start date, we have time to correct past mistakes. Get two platforms up and running from Lee Street Viaduct out toward I-95, cover said platforms with butterfly shed roofs. Add a covered walk from the SOUTH convention center concourse to the trackside platforms, use simple railroad crossings as access to the tracks. Reopen the former ticket office and add some restored seating to the Head House station. Have all available JTA buses stop at the NORTH entry to the Concourse. Build a cross walk with signals over Bay street to the Skyway station.
Snag Amtrak and bring them home to downtown, while we work out the rest of the details on a complete station. The tracks and Sheds, as well as the waiting and ticket space could be reused.
Net result? Add the two commuter stations and we get our first train FREE OF CHARGE!
OCKLAWAHA
Jaxson
July 21, 2009, 07:07:55 PMI am very discouraged because I have e-mailed my concerns to the Jacksonville City Council and FDOT. I have not gotten a response from anyone. I am disappointed in the fact that our government officials cannot even be bothered to reply with at least a "thanks for writing" e-mail. We have a great transportation solution in our backyards and our state and local government want to take the coward's way out - do nothing. I have to agree with the person who referred to our Mayberry state of mind.
Jaxson
July 21, 2009, 07:10:32 PMBy the waym please remember that the beach photo is taken on the West coast. I don't know of any hurricanes that have menaced Southern California like they have stalked our part of the country.
thelakelander
July 21, 2009, 10:22:53 PMDon't worry about rail running on our beaches. The rail line runs parallel to US 1.
Overstreet
July 23, 2009, 08:37:25 AMhttp://gulfcoastparkway.com/
They also relocated a strech in Gulf County to allow WindMark to be built. Another St Joe development. But this Gulf Coast Parkway is a Gulf, and Bay County project by FDOT to move the highway away from the beach and Tyndal AFB. Over the years they already moved Hwy 98 west of Panama City.
tufsu1
July 23, 2009, 09:24:35 AMoops...sorry....that was the portion I was referring to...there is no segment in Franklin County
As for the part of US 98 west of Panama City....the old road still remains...its Front Beach Rd (still a state road for the time being) in Panama City beach and CR 30A in Walton County.
Overstreet
July 29, 2009, 02:07:30 PMTrue still there but no longer the main egress highway.